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Original poster

How often do you catch a stomach bug/vomit?

132 replies

User1110 · 20/07/2021 20:34

Hi, I have emetophobia and would like to just see how common my biggest fear is!

As an emetophobe (fear of vomit) I don’t tend to let myself be ill very often. I think I had a stomach bug of some sort over last summer, but was not sick but probably needed to be as I felt really unwell.

Everyday I wake up and am paranoid that it will be the day I vomit/come down with a bug.

I am veggie (I think this means I’m lower risk of food poisoning, at least). I drink kefir everyday and am keep my house hygienic. Plus am fastidious about hand washing!

I don’t have kids (yet) so would also like to see how much more likely it is to catch bugs if you have kids bringing them home from nursery and school vs no kids.

With norovirus doing the rounds apparently, I’m getting in a bit of a flap thinking it’s everywhere and on every surface I touch. When realistically, it’s probably less than 1% of the population that get it in a year, I believe.

So basically - when did you last vomit, what was it from? And when was the last time you had a stomach bug?

Thank you!

OP posts:
GiantToadstool · 20/07/2021 20:35

All the time wheb I was pregnant. Then maybe once a year or two when they were young. Now they're in juniors not at all!

Northernsoullover · 20/07/2021 20:36

14 years ago. My son was a toddler and gifted me norovirus. Nothing since. Touch wood.

Musicaltheatremum · 20/07/2021 20:37

Last stomach bug 27 years ago when pregnant and another when pregnant 2 years before. Kids had 2 or 3 stomach bugs in life so chances are it won't happen.

BraxtonChic · 20/07/2021 20:37

I last had a norovirus type bug when DS was 18 months old, he's now 17!

I think we may be slightly unusual though.

FreezerBird · 20/07/2021 20:40

I've vomited three times in my adult life. Two drink related and one sea sickness.

I have two children and with both had the sort of morning sickness which is horrible nausea but doesn't lead to vomiting. I always felt I'd feel better afterwards if I actually was sick but wasn't and just stayed nauseous all day.

Kids have had rotovirus but not noro as far as I'm aware, I didn't catch it.

There have been times when the whole family have had some sort of non-specific viral thing which has made DH and DCs vomit but I've just felt rough.

Everyone is built differently I guess.

My house is clean but I'm not obsessive about it. In fact the sight of my kitchen floor right now would probably make you faint dead away. I promise I'll clean it this evening!

steelseries · 20/07/2021 20:40

I never had a stomach bug before kids. Since having my 2 DC I caught one whilst pregnant and I've had norovirus 3 times brought home from nursery 🤢

AuntieMarys · 20/07/2021 20:42

Never. Last had d and v about 30 years ago. My dcs never had it either. No idea why

SnarkyBag · 20/07/2021 20:43

I had food poisoning 16 years ago and was also sick throughout my pregnancies.

The only time I’ve been sick since then is if I get a migraine

MrsIronfoundersson · 20/07/2021 20:44

I am a casual housekeeper, eat out of date food all the time, work in a school and have 3 kids and haven't vomited since 1991 (Sainsbury's ready cooked chicken).

littleselda · 20/07/2021 20:45

Er very rarely, like I honestly can't remember the last time I did. Maybe when I was a kid?

But does your phobia also include other people vomiting? As my ds would vom on a daily basis when he was a baby. Like proper exorcist level 🤮

Oblomov21 · 20/07/2021 20:46

I'm practically never sick, ie being actually sick, vomiting. Neither have either ds's ever had a sickness, diarrhoea, vomiting bug. Ever.

DramaAlpaca · 20/07/2021 20:46

Regularly when my DC were small. Almost never now. In fact I can't remember the last time.

spinningspaniels · 20/07/2021 20:46

Once when our DC were small, and then once again from the grandchildren.

It's very rare for most people, especially if you practise good food hygiene.

Intercity225 · 20/07/2021 20:47

We have had the norovirus twice in the last 35 years - second time, DH ate contaminated oysters and passed it to the whole family. I have had food poisoning four times in that time - all from eating out.

SilverGlassHare · 20/07/2021 20:48

I had a campylobacter infection last February - in bed with a fever for two days as well as vomiting etc. Haven’t vomited since, but it doesn’t especially bother me if I do. I mean, obviously I don’t enjoy it but I think I’d rather have a 24 hour tummy bug than a five day cold really. Especially if I get tonsillitis or a sinus infection.

bookh · 20/07/2021 20:49

I was probably last sick twenty odd years ago with drink. Then I had a child and have had norovirus once and sickness and upset stomach bug twice.

TeenMinusTests · 20/07/2021 20:50

DD2 is 16. The last time I remember her being sick is when she was ~9 and they did a school trip and fed them a specific freshly picked veg to taste that it turned out later you had to cook before eating.

It was a whole school trip...

PieceOfString · 20/07/2021 20:50

I have 2 children one 10yo and one 8yo and can't remember the last time I vomited. Years. My children are rarely sick, rarely get a bug of any kind. I don't think my son has been dick since he was an infant (reflux... The amount of (baby) vomit was astonishing), my daughter has had two bugs in her life that made her vomit. We live rurally, have pets including chickens, the house is clean, kitchen hygienic enough but not hospital theatre standards or even show home standards, just a normal lived in home.

Ninkanink · 20/07/2021 20:56

I think the last time I was sick was when we had norovirus about 10 years ago? Maybe 12.

I spent 5 months being sick multiple times daily when I was pregnant with my 1st. 2nd pregnancy was a bit better - I felt sick but I didn’t vomit as much.

When my children were little and in primary school they had stomach bugs maybe once a year or so. I never got it from them IIRC.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 20/07/2021 20:58

As an emetophobe (fear of vomit) I don’t tend to let myself be ill very often. I think I had a stomach bug of some sort over last summer, but was not sick but probably needed to be as I felt really unwell

How do you stop yourself being sick though? There is no control over it when I have a bugConfused

Lots of times when ds was at school, rarely now.

usernotfound0000 · 20/07/2021 20:58

I'm very rarely sick. As an adult I recall being sick once due to indigestion when I was heavily pregnant and once since then last year. My kids done seem to get sick bugs either, DD1 is 6 and I think she's been properly sick maybe twice in her life.

Wanttocry · 20/07/2021 21:00

I’m also emetophobic, and I think I’ve read research that has shown that on average emetophobes throw up less often than people without emetophobia. Not sure whether that’s cause or effect (does throwing up less often make you more likely to fear it, or does fearing it make you more cautious of illness, more determined not to throw up etc).
I actually have no memory of ever throwing up from a bug in my life. I know I got car sick as a child but don’t remember it at all, and my sisters would get vomiting bugs sometimes but I never caught them. My DD has just turned 2 and I definitely worry about her bringing something back from nursery, but it’s not happened yet!

HummingBeeBox · 20/07/2021 21:04

Almost never. I can count on one hand the number of times in the last 20 years. I think it's 3

TheCanyon · 20/07/2021 21:05

Once had a sickness bug as a child, never as an adult. Have vomitted from morning sickness and pneumonia as an adult but otherwise no sickness bugs. My 4dc (and dh) however get the sickness bug from school every winter!

Unfitbuttrying47 · 20/07/2021 21:08

About 8 years ago (food poisoning) and before that when I was 19 (pretty certain it was food poisoning). I’m 48 now and work in a school, so surrounded by all sorts of bugs as well as at home from my own children.